TEAMSTERS CANADA FOUNDATION
Launched in 2018 under the leadership of Teamsters Canada President François Laporte, the Teamsters Canada Foundation’s mission is to support communities and respond in times of crisis. The foundation is CRA-accredited and was designed to cement the Teamsters' charitable actions by offering new way to raise and give funds. Local unions, joint councils, conferences and Teamsters Canada have long been involved in raising money for good causes for decades. It is part of a commitment to build up a better country that goes beyond workplace and political action. For example, since 1989, Ontario Teamsters have raised close to $2 million for Variety Village, a charity dedicated to helping young people with disabilities and their families in the greater Toronto area and across Ontario. Likewise, since 1982, Québec Teamsters have also raised close to $2 million for Camp Papillon, another charity for children with disabilities. The camp also allows parents of disabled children to take a break from a busy life. In 2020, when the pandemic first hit, the Teamsters Canada Foundation gave $300,000 to charitable organizations across the country. These organizations, which ranged from food banks to hospitals to shelters for battered women, were heavily relied upon during those trying times. Their needs exploded with the job losses and stay-at-home orders that came with the first wave of COVID-19.
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Flood relief in British Columbia More recently, in December 2021, British Columbia experienced historic torrential rains that literally flooded an entire portion of the province. Teamsters Canada, along with Joint Councils 36, 52, 90 and 91, donated $200,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to support relief efforts. The easing of public health restrictions brings new opportunities to raise more money for the foundation and its all-important activities. This year, the Teamsters Canada Foundation golf tournament will be held for the first time in three years in Montréal. The Ontario Teamsters Invitational, and the Omnium Teamsters Quebec, will also be held. The same goes for a host of other Teamster fundraising activities across the country.
